Araceli Gomez Villegas earned her B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in Zoology from San Diego State University and her M.S. in Entomology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 2024. Her graduate research focused on native bee identification and ecology.
Before joining the National Marine Mammal Foundation, Araceli worked as a biologist with the San Diego Natural History Museum, where she conducted entomological field surveys, identified insect specimens, and supported museum collection curation. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening and spending time with her dogs and cat.
